Shoot Your Shot: Courage, Confidence, and Finding Your True Value

This story is adapted from 5 1/2 Mentors, by Doug Stewart.

I was believing and behaving like a victim, which was preventing me from gaining any sort of positive momentum. I wasn’t accepting any responsibility for the outcomes in my life. What was I waiting for to move forward? Permission? Access? To win the lottery?

You don’t need any of those things to take control of and effect change in your life. Instead of waiting for something to happen that may never materialize, accept your innate greatness to take action, reach your full potential, and get the most out of your time on earth.

We’re all susceptible to falling into negative beliefs and patterns. Fear of loss or of failure, trauma, intellectual laziness, spiritual apathy, self-centeredness, bad advice, and ingrained philosophy learned from childhood are examples of how this happens. Many others exist, I’m sure. The key is figuring out how to get unstuck. Innate greatness runs deep within all of us, and you are no different. All you have to do is draw it out. If you’d like a jump start on that, here’s an exercise that may help.

Start by thinking of the most sentimental object you own. For me, it’s a picture that my daughter drew when she was about four years old. It was a picture of a lake with a boat on it. In the picture, not only is she driving the boat, she’s also pulling me on a wakeboard. This picture is one of those sentimental items that any proud father would hold near and dear to his heart. That’s why it has hung on my office wall for the last five years. Every time I look at it, I smile.

This picture is made from the finest construction paper and crayons money can buy. When combined with the twenty-dollar frame I put around it, the total monetary value is slightly under twenty-one dollars.
Nonetheless, if someone offered me fifty dollars for that picture, I wouldn’t sell it. One hundred dollars. Still wouldn’t sell it. $500? No sale. If I’m being completely honest, there is a price where I would sell the picture. I’m not Mother Teresa. If you’d like to make an offer for more than $5,000, let’s talk.

Chances are you own something of similar sentimental value. What is that priceless item for you? It might be your grandmother’s wedding ring, a childhood toy, or a favorite book. It could be something that reminds you of a special time in your life.

You and that item have much more in common than you realize. First, there’s nothing exactly like that item, and there is no other person exactly like you. Also, that item is worth the precise value you put on it, and the same is true for you. In the same way that the picture my daughter drew is worth much more to me than the twenty-one dollars it cost to make, your body, mind, spirit, and soul are infinitely valuable. Once you accept and activate that knowledge, your heart and mind will open to your true potential and purpose. The choice is yours to feel empowered by viewing yourself as the priceless, one-of-a-kind item you are, or the twenty-one-dollar collection of parts that’s not worth anything to anyone. An effective way to begin to know how valuable you really are is to understand the distinction between confidence and courage.

Courage is something you can choose. Confidence is something you have to earn; it is the result of courage.

You can know everything there is to know about hitting a baseball, but until you gain the courage to step up to the plate, be willing to fail, and improve over time, you will never earn the right to be confident about hitting a baseball. The same is true with everything else in life.

Don’t waste time. Life isn’t a storybook where everyone gets a fair chance. The good news is that you have a chance. Some people are shooting layups in life while others are shooting hook shots from half court. Both groups of people get a shot. Undoubtedly, one group has a much easier likelihood for success than the other.

Does everyone get a chance?
Yes.
Are the probabilities for success much different?
Absolutely.

Never forget that you are on the court and have a shot. Regardless of whether it’s a layup or half-court hook shoot, take it! Shoot your shot. If the odds seem so insurmountably stacked against you, stack the deck in your favor or play a different game. Don’t allow a disadvantage to stop you from shooting your shot.

Everyone gets stuck from time to time. Michael Jordan went into shooting slumps. Adele produced no music for several years. Elon Musk and everyone else you might think of as infallible have been stuck numerous times in their lives. They never stayed that way. Michael Jordan kept shooting, Adele kept singing, and Elon Musk kept innovating. The only people who stay stuck are the ones who don’t act.

No matter how many shots you’ve missed, or even if you’re stuck shooting past half-court all the way from the opponent’s free-throw line, shoot your shot. Sometimes, the only way to get unstuck is to keep shooting.

To learn more about how to see your value and become your best self, you can find 5 1/2 Mentors on Amazon.

Doug Stewart is a TEDx speaker, certified Dale Carnegie Instructor, performance coach, and mentorship thought leader. He is known for utilizing original and adaptive methods to help people pursue a life of purpose through enthusiastic discovery. Most importantly, Doug is a devoted husband to his best friend, Merideth, and proud father to his children, Kendall and Kendrick.